One more country declared mine free, but new use of antipersonnel mines condemned at Mine Ban Treaty

Monday, 27 June 2011

(Geneva,
24 June 2011) Nigeria, which joined the Mine Ban Treaty in 2002, declared that
it is free of antipersonnel landmines during an international meeting held in
Geneva this week.

"We
welcome Nigeria's completion of mine clearance and the work that continues
around the world to clear mine-affected land," said Kasia Derlicka,
director of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL).

"But
at the same time, we are deeply disturbed that landmines continue to be laid in
Burma, Libya, and, apparently, southern Sudan," she added.

This
week, representatives from 100 governments as well as the United Nations,
international organizations and the ICBL met in Geneva for annual
"intersessional" meetings of the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty. The week has
seen a mixture of good and bad news:

âGermany
announced that it had discovered an area suspected to contain landmines and
cluster munition remnants at a former Soviet firing range at Wittstock in the
east;

âThe
Pacific nation of Tuvalu participated for the first time in a meeting of the
Mine Ban Treaty, and said it intends to join;

âICBL
member Human Rights Watch confirmed antipersonnel landmine use by Libyan
government forces in the Nafusa mountains;

âThe southern
Sudan Demining Authority said that landmines have been used recently in the
region by "renegade" rebel groups, but also said that southern Sudan
intends join the Mine Ban Treaty after it formally becomes an independent state
on 9 July;

âTurkey,
which missed its stockpile destruction deadline in 2008, declared that it will
complete the destruction of its remaining antipersonnel mines by the end of
August 2011;

âBelarus,
Ukraine and Greece, the other States Parties that also missed their stockpile
destruction deadlines, described the measures they are taking to destroy their
mines;

âAlgeria,
Chile, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Eritrea requested extensions to their
treaty-mandated deadlines to clear all their mined areas.

"Germany's
identification of a potentially mined area is surprising, but shows the
government is transparent, and we are pleased that Germany will assess the area
to determine if clearance is required," Derlicka said.

Cambodia
will host the Mine Ban Treaty's 11th Meeting of States Parties in Phnom Penh
from 28 November - 2 December 2011.

The
ICBL is a coalition of non-governmental organizations that is working to create
a landmine-free world. In 1997, it received the Nobel Peace Prize for its role
in the creation of the Mine Ban Treaty.

A
total of 156 countries have joined the Mine Ban Treaty, while 39 states remain
not party.

ENDS

Media contact

Kate
Wiggans, Media & Communications Manager (In Geneva, GMT +1)

Email:
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Mobile:
+41 78 685 1146

Background

For
information and updates on States Parties obligations under the Mine Ban Treaty
please visit theLandmine Monitor website